View Poll Results: How do you feel about seafoam?
Love it
19
70.37%
get it away from my car!
8
29.63%
Voters: 27. You may not vote on this poll
10-27-2015, 11:26 AM
Last edit by: IB Advertising
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seafoam yes or no? + how often to replace cabin air filter?
02-15-2014, 06:04 AM
#12
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 371
Don't expect to get anything back in fuel mileage by going up in octane without a proper tune. In fact you may lose some mpg. Lower octane fuel has more chemical energy readily available. That is why it is prone to pre-ignition in high compression and boosted applications. If your car isn't tuned for higher octane fuel, you will actually be doing a disservice to your engine. You won't get as complete combustion and you will begin to get carbon buildup......then you WILL need to use a product like seafoam to clean it out. Use only as high an octane rating as necessary to prevent pre-ignition and use a good fuel injector cleaning product like techron or bg with every oil change, and you should be good to go for a long time to come.
02-15-2014, 07:30 AM
#13
6th Gear Member
SeaFoam is great stuff. I use Techron every 10k miles or oil change, whichever comes first, as preventive maintenance. But I'll use SeaFoam if I suspect there's a problem such as when I see a chronic loss of fuel mileage NOT associated with other outside influences.
As far as the cabin air filter, I believe it's the biggest crock of chit handed to the car-buying public in years. Unless you never, ever drive with your windows open I think it's useless. After looking at the filters in both my Stangs at about 30k miles, I probably won't look at them for another 50k-75k miles or longer.
As far as the cabin air filter, I believe it's the biggest crock of chit handed to the car-buying public in years. Unless you never, ever drive with your windows open I think it's useless. After looking at the filters in both my Stangs at about 30k miles, I probably won't look at them for another 50k-75k miles or longer.
02-15-2014, 07:48 AM
#14
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,329
Originally Posted by RazorGT
oh wow i didn't know that, all my life I heard that 87 octane is junky and bad for your car and higher octane runs 'cleaner'...so is that a common auto myth or does it mostly apply to new cars since they have more computerized things?
same for oil additives. your engine was designed with the viscosity and lubrication properties of 5W-20 motor oil, and nothing else. Dumping garbage oil additives into your crankcase messes with those properties and you have no clue whatsoever how this will affect your engine. plus, some of them (especially ones marketed for "high mileage cars") carry a ton of ZDDP in them which can trash your catalytic converter.
Originally Posted by Nuke
SeaFoam is great stuff. I use Techron every 10k miles or oil change, whichever comes first, as preventive maintenance. But I'll use SeaFoam if I suspect there's a problem such as when I see a chronic loss of fuel mileage NOT associated with other outside influences.
02-15-2014, 08:18 AM
#15
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
RP is on sale this month at Oreallies for $10 a can... Save $5
so all I need to do is pour it in the gas tank or should I also buy something to pour in the engine oil?
Use Lucas Oil Stabilizer. Lucas has years of testing under their belt
and I would trust their oil additive anyday.
Im going to start using 89 octane fuel, its better than 87 and just a bit more money which I'm hoping I'll get back in fuel mileage and keeping my engine and fuel system clean.
like your Mustang. You will get no better gas mileage from 89 or 91.
Load a 89 or 91 Octane 'tune' and you will see the power benefits from the higher Octane fuel.
89 or 91 Octane is just wasting your money. Some say the 89 or 91
has more of an additive package along with the petrol. Thats all.
as for tranny flush's (those with auto), should I do every 30k miles or is it okay to do every 100k miles or maybe 50k miles? (according to guide I'm due for a tranny flush, cabin filter and air filter and fuel filter....i plan to do cabin and air when they seem dirty, probably will do tranny flush and fuel filter around 50k miles)
Last edited by 157dB; 02-15-2014 at 09:00 AM.
02-15-2014, 09:26 AM
#16
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,329
Use Lucas Oil Stabilizer.
Lucas has years of testing under their belt
and I would trust their oil additive anyday.
and I would trust their oil additive anyday.
02-16-2014, 01:16 PM
#17
I used a lucas oil injector cleaner once.... fouled my injectors something fierce. I stick to chevron now. Not impressed with Lucas Oil at all.
I think the only reason to possibly use an oil/fuel stablizier, is if you're storing for sometime.... IMHO
I think the only reason to possibly use an oil/fuel stablizier, is if you're storing for sometime.... IMHO
02-20-2014, 02:20 PM
#18
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Posts: 628
what exactly are you hoping to accomplish with dumping seafoam into your engine? dumping it into the crankcase is worthless; if you use the proper grade of oil and change it on a reasonable schedule, there's no "gunk" in there to clean out. If there is, then your engine has a problem and seafoam isn't going to fix it.
if you're talking about sucking it into the intake via a vacuum hose, don't. If you run any recognizable-brand of gasoline, the gas has enough detergents in it to keep the intake ports and valves clean. Seafoam is a mix of pale oil (light mineral oil,) isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol,) and naphtha (paint thinner.) nothing in there is a better "solvent" than clean, fresh, detergent gasoline. Those idiots on Youtube who go on about "see all that white smoke? That's seafoam cleaning everything out!!!" don't understand what the f they're doing. The white smoke is coming from burning of the mineral oil in seafoam, nothing more.
it's a pointless, stupid waste of time and money. take proper care of your car and you don't need to worry about moronic stuff like this.
if you're talking about sucking it into the intake via a vacuum hose, don't. If you run any recognizable-brand of gasoline, the gas has enough detergents in it to keep the intake ports and valves clean. Seafoam is a mix of pale oil (light mineral oil,) isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol,) and naphtha (paint thinner.) nothing in there is a better "solvent" than clean, fresh, detergent gasoline. Those idiots on Youtube who go on about "see all that white smoke? That's seafoam cleaning everything out!!!" don't understand what the f they're doing. The white smoke is coming from burning of the mineral oil in seafoam, nothing more.
it's a pointless, stupid waste of time and money. take proper care of your car and you don't need to worry about moronic stuff like this.
03-02-2014, 01:20 PM
#19
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2
Seafoam broken down:
If you buy a car from someone you know is intelligent and takes car of their vehicle: Don't use it
If you take car of your vehicle: You wont need to use it.
If you bought a car from someone on craigslist that you can tell is a bit.....meh...: Use it but change the oil in a few weeks or less, then never use it again.
Seafoam is more of a last resort and precautionary, I have used it and it has worked, but if the car is properly maintained will do nothing. It may also do some harm.
If you buy a car from someone you know is intelligent and takes car of their vehicle: Don't use it
If you take car of your vehicle: You wont need to use it.
If you bought a car from someone on craigslist that you can tell is a bit.....meh...: Use it but change the oil in a few weeks or less, then never use it again.
Seafoam is more of a last resort and precautionary, I have used it and it has worked, but if the car is properly maintained will do nothing. It may also do some harm.
03-02-2014, 03:11 PM
#20
6th Gear Member
I use Techron every 10k miles or oil change, whichever comes first, as preventive maintenance. I use SeaFoam if I suspect an issue that's causing an unexpected fuel mileage drop or something performance related before tearing into things.